All posts tagged abduction

THE SMALL TOWN OF HULIS, MISSOURI HAS A KILLER CHRISTMAS SPIRIT…

… AND IT’S HIDING A KILLER SECRET.

In 1975 the small town of Hulis was ground zero in a frantic search for 10 year-old Merrie Frances Callahan, as well as an intense manhunt for her abductor.

35 years later, it seems the FBI would like to pretend it never happened.

Special Agent Constance Mandalay didn’t get that memo…

IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTERis based on the short teaser novellaMERRIE AXEMAS: A Killer Holiday Tale, (see below) but it tells the whole story of ten-year-old Merrie Frances Callahan’s 1975 abduction, and the present day murders that are somehow intricately linked to that event.

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆5/5 Holiday Stars

I’ve been a Rowan Gant fan since I picked up my first copy of HARM NONE (I got it autographed, too – teehee), and I am so happy that SAConstance Mandalay got her own story! (soon-to-be-series 🙂 I can’t wait for Book 2: INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE!!). ITBM is going to impact the rest of the RGI Series for me. Constance was already growing on me, but I like her character much more now. Getting to go along with her on this investigation, and see how she handles the (I’m quoting Ben here…) “Twilight Zone” stuff without Rowan being there is eye-opening. I definitely see her a little differently, and have more respect for her. She has earned her place in The Ghoul Squad, haha! I would LOVE to see both Constance and Ben shake off their traditional beliefs and… well… a girl can dream. ♥ Blessed Be!

SA Constance Mandalay is assigned what appears to be a 7-year-old cold case that echos the events of the 35-year-old child abduction. Unfortunately for all involved, the case heats up for a short time each year with a brutal murder that appears eerily staged, and occurs under impossible circumstances.

Undaunted, she faces the task with no backup, a mysteriously redacted case file, and the inevitable murder fast approaching.

Mandalay’s experience as the ‘handler’ for an FBI occult/paranormal expert (Rowan Gant) makes her the perfect choice for this investigation. However, even her brushes with the unexplained still cannot prepare her for the answer she was not supposed to discover…

You can find In The Bleak Midwinter: A Special Agent Constance Mandalay Novel @

My autographed copy of HARM NONE can’t be replaced, so I was especially giddy when I saw that M. R. Sellars usesAuthorGraph! Now my ebooks are virtually signed 🙂 Stop by and get your new M. R. Sellars ebooks personalized, too!

Christina Cooper, like a lot of us, has a casual interest in serial killers. Her interest increased when people start disappearing from her area. Since 1991 sixteen people have gone missing, or been kidnapped – each case occurring at the beginning of August. People are comparing the details, or lack thereof, to the still unsolved Ripper case from so long ago. The mystery surrounding the case has become an obsession. She has her own ‘crime journal’ where she takes notes on the case, and keeps articles she finds. The headline in this morning’s newspaper announces the anniversary of the abduction spree. Today is August first.

At the gas station where she works, Christina passes time in creative ways. She has a secret game of creating morbid profiles of people she sees, creating a backstory and intricate scenarios for their ‘character’.
Her friend Jessie shares her passion all things macabre. She loves to hear the detailed descriptions of crimes committed by Christina’s characters, and enthusiastically encourages her to profile the customer in the white van.
The grisly account of rape and murder ‘committed’ by White Van Guy has Jessie mesmerized, and neither of them notice the customer that entered. When the woman slammed her items onto the counter, it was obvious that she’d overheard the brutal story being told about the man that they would soon learn is her husband – and she was NOT entertained.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Christina regains consciousness in unfamiliar surroundings, and panics.“Do you want to know the truth?”She’s starting to remember what happened –‘Anniversary of summer abduction spree looms’A customer coming into the gas station at closing time…“It’s my son’s birthday.”The woman from the other day…with an invitation?A rag being pressed to her face…“You’re the guest of honor.”White Van Guy…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

WARNING: THIS IS AN EXTREME HORROR NOVEL.

“There is gore. There is bad language. There are scenes of a sexual nature. There are scenes of domestic abuse. But hidden underneath it all is also a chilling story.” ~ Amazon

There are some uncomfortable scenes, but they are necessary.
The characters wouldn’t be the same without them, and their actions wouldn’t have the same impact.
These guys managed to have me in tears reading an extreme horror novel! So IMO – they did everything right.